Thursday, 27 December 2012

The Neighbourhood - Thank You

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

It's commonplace for bands to give names to EPs and albums that are unrelated to the name of any of the songs included. 'Led Zeppelin IV' didn't have any track of that name, 'Abbey Road' isn't even referenced in any of the songs on the album. But for a band to give an unrelated name to a two-track single is a little unusual and we're struggling to think of any other examples (answers on a postcard, or the comments box below, whichever's easiest). Californians The Neighbourhood are giving it a go though. Their new 7" single is called 'Thank You'; the songs are called 'Let It Go' and 'A Little Death' respectively. We know not why and I guess it doesn't matter.

Of the two songs it's 'A Little Death' that comes out on top. 'Let It Go' isn't a bad song per se, in fact it fairly good if you're happy with more mainstream sounds. It's just a shot away from being sterile chart-pop but they just about prevent it overstepping the mark. It's likely to be too close for some though. On 'A Little Death' they again take a pop route, only this time it's more tastefully done and has has a darker and more experimental air to it. Aiming for upmarket pop with an alternative edge is something they've proven they can do here and it would be good to see them push this idea further on future releases and see just what they can come up with.